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Winter outlook 2026–27 by ZIP code

NOAA expects a very strong El Niño this winter. Enter your ZIP code to see what its official December–February outlook says for your area.

Reviewed October 2026

Winter outlook for your ZIP code

Enter a U.S. ZIP code to see NOAA’s odds of a warmer, colder, wetter or drier winter there.

Outlook: NOAA Climate Prediction Center seasonal outlook for December–February, fetched live from NOAA’s public map service. Weather Info is not affiliated with NOAA.

What NOAA expects this winter

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center released its official winter outlook on October 16, 2026. The headline is a very strong El Niño, which usually pushes the jet stream south and east across the U.S. For December through February, that means:

  • Warmer than normal is favored across the northern U.S., from the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies through the Midwest and much of the East, plus Alaska.
  • Wetter than normal is favored across the Southwest, the South and the East Coast. Parts of the Southeast, including Florida, are more likely to see near-normal temperatures.
  • Drier than normal is favored in Hawaii, much of Alaska, the northern Mountain West and parts of the Great Lakes.
  • Drought may ease in parts of the Southwest, Southern Plains, Southeast and East Coast, but heavy rain on dry ground can cause flash flooding and mudslides.

How to read your result

The outlook isn't a forecast for any one day. It gives the odds for the whole three months, compared with the last 30 years:

  • "Favored: warmer than normal, 50%" means NOAA thinks there's a 50% chance this winter ends up in the warmest third of recent winters, instead of the usual 33%.
  • "Equal chances" means there's no strong signal either way. It doesn't mean "normal."
  • A mild winter can still have cold snaps and big storms. El Niño winters often bring more storms to the southern half of the country, and wet storms can still mean heavy snow where it's cold enough.

For the next seven days, use the forecast for your ZIP code. For flood risk this winter, check your address on Flood.global.

Sources